not not gonna go to college. mom: what are you saying? you've got to go to college. son: well, they offered me a job and... mom: son, college is much more important. son: no. mom: yes. son: no, mom. mom: yes. son: anyway, it's my decision. mom: ok, well, then, decide what degree you are going to get, because you will go to college. announcer: their tomorrow depends on your words today. the hispanic scholarship fund has the information you need to help your kids go to college.

>> here's what's coming up on this edition of "teen kids news." >> the nation's report card on what we know about history is out, and it's not pretty. special mission and the teens who train them. >> in "speak of the week," we compare ourselves to our parents. >> my story knitting will have you in stitches. >> all that and more next on "teen kids news." >> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm mwanzaa. >> and i'm livia. here's this week's top story. >> lauren reports on what american teens know about history, or maybe i should say what they don't know. [ cheers and applause ]

>> why did the colonists fight to win america's freedom? >> originally, it was because of taxation without representation in british parliament. [ cheers and applause ] >> okay, that was an easy one. but a recent test of 8th graders went a little deeper. they were asked to identify one advantage the colonial forces had over the british in the american revolution. >> the colonists knew the land much better than the british did, so they had better fighting ground. >> our troops were more motivated. >> and the british were from a country that was away by an ocean. >> all correct. the colonists were fighting on familiar territory, they were fighting to protect their homes and families, and they didn't have to transport supplies over the ocean. while we only showed you the kids who knew the correct answers, two out of three 8th graders across the country couldn't come up with any of these factors. the history test is given every

few years by the national educational assessment project. what's the goal of the test? >> the test was an assessment of how much our students know about our u.s. history at grades 4, 8, and 12. everything from the united states constitution to presidents to why certain laws came into play. at very different levels, there are certain questions that are asked. the 8th graders really were the ones who did, i would say, perform the best when we consider the 4th and we consider the 12th grade. >> that's because 8th graders' scores improved over the last time the test was given. 4th graders and 12th graders did not. in fact, a majority of 12th graders turned in a poor performance. their questions were harder, and their correct answers were fewer. 55% of 12th graders scored below the basic level. what does this show? >> mm, lauren, that's not good news at all. [ chuckles ] and what does that mean for our

12th graders? it means that we have to find a way to engage our 12th graders in learning u.s. history. we have to make it more important to them. so, we have a lot of work to do, definitely, at the 12th-grade level. >> there's a famous saying -- "those who don't know history are condemned to repeat it." so, the lessons of the past are worth learning. for "teen kids news," i'm lauren. >> there's still lots ahead, so stay with us. >> we'll be right back.

>> it's amazing what a specially trained dog can do to assist a person with disabilities. felipe reports on a program where teens learn how to transform pets into helpers. >> these dogs are eager to get to school. they're also forming a special bond with their teen trainers. >> i started playing with dogs

and training dogs when i was a young girl. >> a love of dogs and personal experience inspired jill felice to start assistance dogs of the west, or adw. >> my sister, karen, has a disability, and i started getting the dogs to help me and my sister, karen. you know, kids want to be kids, of course. i didn't want to have the responsibility of my sister, karen, so i used to get one of our first dogs to stay with her, and then, when she needed me, she could tell him, and he would come and find me. >> the school trains dogs to help people with disabilities become more independent. most of the adw's trainers are adults, but jill wanted to give kids the experience she had as a child. >> ah-choo! >> i think for kids who are truly interested in it and want to take this further into animal behavior or vet school or training for the movies, training for whatever, i think this is a really great place to

start that lets you really kind of explore whether this is something you really want to do later on in life. >> the school is based in santa fe, new mexico, and trains dozens of service dogs each year. for these teens, the class is actually part of their school day. >> you take it like you take math. you get a credit for it, you take it every day, you're assigned the same service dog. >> students help their four-legged friends learn a minimum of 90 different commands. sometimes success comes easily. >> up. push. yes! good boy. >> and sometimes it doesn't. >> push. push. >> in addition to training skills, teens learn some important life lessons, like how to be patient. >> push. yeah! good girl. whoo! >> they learn how their emotional impact has direct influence on another being. so, if they're inappropriate with their emotions, their dog'.

if they're appropriate with their emotions, their dogs are gonna do everything for them. >> training usually lasts a year and a half. at the end, trainers and trainees show off at a graduation ceremony. [ laughter ] >> yeah. [ chuckles ] >> then comes the toughest part of the program. teacher and student have to say goodbye. >> he was always there for me, no matter if i was happy, sad, mad. he'd always either cheer me up or make me even happier. >> training a dog is always bittersweet for the trainers and for the students. you did a lot of hard work. you've done it for the last, you know, 18 months, two years of your life. you are ecstatic that they're going to where they need to go, but there is that little part of you that says, "ooh, i'll miss him." >> [ voice breaking ] i can't think of anyone better to go to -- melvin to go to than you, melissa. you're very lucky. [ applause ] >> people who need assistance

dogs can wait as long as five years to get one. jill hopes to shorten that wait by getting more kids involved in training. to learn more, check out our website, teenkidsnews.com. >> this report is brought to you by ralph lauren. >> it's the city that's visited by more tourists than any other city in america, especially this time of year. welcome to the big apple -- new york city. so, if your family's visiting for the holidays, here are some great things you can see and do. let's start at the top. you just can't beat the views from the observation deck of the empire state building. if you like to skate, the ice is nice at wollman's rink in central park. here's one tourist attraction that's good enough to eat.

serendipity has fun food and its famous frozen hot chocolate. [ chuckling ] yum. new york is the theater capital of the world. a hot ticket is the christmas spectacular at radio city music hall. but one of the best shows in town is free -- the fantastic holiday windows, like these at ralph lauren. they draw lots of oohs and ahhs. >> look at that. [ gasps ] >> look at the dress. it's so pretty. >> and they draw you into the store, as well. how could i resist? they're all gifts, i promise. and of course, there's the giant tree at rockefeller center.

so, let's recap. if you're visiting new york city this time of year, there's lots of fun things to do while you're here. it's great to skate at the park's wollman rink, and then cool off with serendipity's famous cold drink. there's so much to see along the streets of the city, from bright lights that are shining to windows that are pretty. don't miss the rockettes as they kick it old school, or the towering tree that's ever-so cool. but this season, wherever you are and whatever you do, all of us here at "tkn" send holiday wishes to you.

>> time for more expert advice on staying healthy. >> so, your friends want to go to the local fast-food restaurant, and you're gonna be

virtuous and get the fish or chicken. but listen to this. >> fish and chicken oftentimes are not the best option. >> ellen shanley and colleen thompson are the authors of "fueling the teen machine." >> talk about counterintuitive at the lunch counter. i'm all ears. >> let's take a look, nicole. here we have a burger king original chicken sandwich, and we're comparing it to a whopper jr. 630 calories compared to 340 calories. >> wow. that's a big difference. why the big difference in calories? >> let's look. if i open up this chicken sandwich, you can see how big this patty is. really big portion size -- more than you need. on top of that, we've got some sauce on here -- probably a mayonnaise heavy in fat and calories. now let's go over to our whopper jr. here. look at that. there's vegetables in there. already we like this better. it's got vegetables in it. a little bit of sauce, much smaller patty, right? so, fewer calories. big difference -- you can save half the calories right here. >> so, next is fish? >> let's see.

so, what do we have here? we have a burger king fish sandwich compared to a regular, or single, hamburger. and the fish sandwich is topping in at 640 calories. i know we think fish is leaner, but what happened to the fish? fried, breaded, added the sauce -- extra calories, extra fat, so 640 calories. compared to the single burger, only 260 calories. let's look inside, take a peek here. we got single burger, we got a pickle -- sort of a vegetable. >> [ chuckles ] >> and some ketchup. so, less fat, lot fewer calories, better choice. >> most fast-food restaurants actually post the calories and other nutritional info near the counter, so you might want to check that out before you order. for "health bites," i'm nicole. >> you may think you're good at climbing trees, but could you imagine climbing a tree without legs? well, that's just what snakes do. snakes use their scales and body muscles to slowly move up the

tree, inch by inch. this technique is inspiring researchers to create a robot that can slither through rubble like a snake. the robot would then be used in search-and-rescue missions. >> let's get your opinion in "speak of the week." >> do you think it's harder being a teen today than when your parents were teens? >> well, whenever my mom always tells me about, you know, how sometimes when i shirk my duties, i always tell her it was a lot simpler back in her day. >> it's probably a lot harder to be a teen today because there's so much more, like, social stuff going on with, like, the internet and stuff. >> no, i don't think that, because back then, times were harder than it is today. >> probably, because now there's a lot more distractions, like more technology and whatnot. >> from what they say, i think it is. i think there's just more that

we're exposed to now than there was when we were before. so i think it is harder now. >> um...no. i'm gonna go with no, because, like, well, when my parents were teens, they were, like, the war -- vietnam war and stuff, and their parents were, like, kind of like, "hey, go join the war," and they were kind of like, "mm, no." my dad grew up in brazil, so it's a little bit different there. >> i think it's easier, because our parents, like, couldn't escape from their parents, 'cause they didn't have phones or computers. >> yeah, i do because of the work load. school is a lot harder now, i think. >> i do, because there's a lot more technology around. like, when our parents were teenagers, if they had a problem with people, it was sort of a face-to-face combat issue, but nowadays, you could just do it anonymously, and you can really never know who it's coming from. >> if we put it to a vote, i think most teens would agree that life is tougher today than it was a couple of decades ago. i'm diyu for "teen kids news."

um]um]

♪[tum] ♪[tum] ♪[tum] ♪[tum] ♪[tum] ♪[tum] [phone ring,] car brakes hard [phone ring] [car crash] glass shatters [sirens] this video was submitted by a student through the safety scholars program. for more information on teen safety visit driversedge.org. thanks for calling the ged pep talk center. jerry stier speaking. your level 7 "in your face" pep talk. once you've got your ged diploma, you'll feel so good about yourself. you tell 'em! mr. trejo, can i transfer this guy to you? he needs something a little more... persuasive? [telephones ringing] yes! announcer: whatever motivation you need, we've got a pep talk for you at yourged.org.

>> it's a hobby popular with celebs like dakota fanning, cameron diaz, julia roberts, and even russell crowe, and as emily reports, it's catching on with teens, as well. >> i'm here at lion brand yarn studio, where i'll try my hand at a craft that dates back to ancient egypt. let's go inside. it's an explosion of color and an endless supply of inspiration. knitting is where the nimble put their needles and their creativity to the test. what are you working on today? >> today, i'm working on a sweater.

>> right now, i'm working on leg warmers. >> a headband. >> knitting's not just for grandma anymore. >> and what i love about you teen knitters so much is your imagination. i'm blown away by some of the projects i see you guys do, and the color combinations are sometimes things that i wouldn't think of, but they're fantastic. >> you have your yarn and you have your needles, and you want to make a slipknot. which you do that by wrapping the yard around your fingers. that's pretty much the most -- one of the simplest parts of passing on. >> korrina's helping me create my first sweater. this is simple, right? how many different types of stitches are there? >> that is a great question, 'cause you'd be surprised to know the answer is 2 -- the knit stitch and the purl stitch. everything in knitting -- all those beautiful, complex stitches, lace, and cables, they're all from two stitches -- the knit and the purl. >> while i knit and purl, here are a few cool knitting facts. knitting comes from the word "knot," which may have started with the dutch.

the earliest example is a pair of socks found in ancient egypt. in olden times, knitting was just as popular among men as women. >> we have 120 classes a month. people come and buy their yarn and hang out and meet with friends. it's a great social place to be. >> to sit and knit, you only need two things -- yarn and needles, but both come in various types. there are straight needles, double-pointed needles, and even needles that are circular. those are handy in making a hat. a woman in england holds the guinness world record for using the largest knitting needles. they're more than 10 feet long. these look much more manageable. here's another technique that i'll try much later -- knitting with four needles at one time. >> and they're for doing something in the round that's a little smaller. >> to help figure out what to knit, you can choose from hundreds of free patterns at online sites like lionbrandyarn.com. there are a lot of types of yarns, but if you're just

starting, what types of yarn should you look for? >> you want to look for a smooth fiber. also a light color, because you want to be able to see your stitches, and sometimes, with black or really deep purple, even though you might love that color, it can be really hard to see. another thing you want to look for is a solid color. and the last thing to consider is what's called the weight of the yarn, which is the thickness. so, a nice medium-weight yarn which uses needle sizes from 9 to 11 is a perfect start. >> i think i'm getting the hang of this. knitting takes patience and concentration, but these girls say it helps them handle the everyday stress we all have. >> it's kind of a therapy almost, because you're basically concentrating on one thing, and it's really a lot of fun to do. >> it's fun to make things for your friends. >> once you first start, sometimes it can be a little tricky and difficult, but once you really learn -- you know, get the feel for it, it's really easy, and, yeah, anyone can knit. anyone can knit. >> that's what they keep telling

me. if teens want to learn how to knit, how should they start? >> your local yarn store, like the lion brand yarn studio or a store in your neighborhood, is a great place to start. find out if they do duet lessons. that's something we do, which is a lesson for a parent and a child, or any grown-up that wants to be involved in making sure that you stay on track, 'cause sometimes you go home and there's a mistake and you think, "oh, i dropped a stitch. what do i do?" and if there's someone around that can help you, it's a really great thing. >> okay, so i'm a long way off from being able to knit a sweater, but with practice, i'm sure i'll get there...one day. for "teen kids news," i'm emily. music i want some more. what's he doing? please sir, i want some more. more? he has asked for...

thank you. well he did say please... yes he did. and thank you. please and thank you. pass it on. (crowd of children) thank you. turning a 20-foot wall into a canvas takes vision. so will getting into college. i've got what it takes. so do you.

>> certain habits can cause us to eat, even when we're not hungry. for example, watching tv. to keep from over-snacking, scientists have discovered a simple technique. are you right-handed?

eat with your left hand. if you're left-handed, reach for snacks with your right hand. so, rather than diet, try it. >> this report is brought to you by yahoo! digital crave. >> 'tis the season to buy some great gadgets for friends and family, or even yourself if you want to treat yourself to a new tech toy, and i've got a few to show you, ranging in price from $38 all the way up to $25,000. that's right. so, why don't we start off with the big guns, and i'm referring to sony's 84-inch xbr 4k l.e.d. tv. 4k is gonna be a big buzz word in 2013, and it refers to the fact that it's got four times the resolution of a regular hd tv. it's also 3d-enabled, and it's got built-in wi-fi, so you can access all those on-demand apps like netflix and youtube and facebook and twitter and all that. so, great stuff. 25 grand for that one, if you've got the budget. if that's a little too steep for you, you can get a beautiful smart tv, an l.e.d. tv like the ex 645 -- a 46-incher for $800. so it's certainly great deals

this holiday season. now, let's say you're already happy with your existing tv, but you want to give the gift of smart tv. you can do so with a blu-ray player like the s7-90. it is wi-fi enabled, so you can access all of those amazing apps, all that on-demand content. it's also dlna enabled, which means you can also wirelessly play content from your smartphone, your tablet, or your laptop computer. so, that's a great pick right there. if you're buying a gift for a younger girl, this is great. these are the yippits. these are robotic pets. it's the successor to mattel's hugely popular fijit friends. that was the big holiday gift from last year. now we've got these robotic pets called yippits. you can nurture them, you can train them, you can interact with them. they come in multiple colors. i'll just turn this one off right now. multiple colors to choose from. $37.99 for yippits. also great for kids is "wonderbook: book of spells." this works with playstation 3 and the playstation eye camera. when you open up this book in front of a tv, not only is the child projected on the television screen, but the book comes alive.

it's written by none other than j.k. rowling of "harry potter" fame, and this is what's called augmented reality. so, even though it looks like there are these little squares on the book, when you see that on the tv, it comes alive with fire and animation and magical spells. and you bet that "book of spells" is just the first of many wonderbooks to come for the playstation 3. well, there you have it. no shortage of great gadget gift ideas for the 2012 holiday season. for "teen kids news," i'm mark saltzman. >> that's our program for this week. thanks for joining us. >> and of course, "teen kids news" will be back again next week. so, we'll see you then.